On a day when Beijing softened its anti-New Delhi rhetoric, India officially acknowledged for the first time that China was building dams on the Brahmaputra but downplayed its significance, with Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal saying the construction was taking place around 1,100 km upstream.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said China would not damage interests of others. “China is a responsible country and will not do anything to damage the interests of others,” said Ma Zhaoxu, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, in a press briefing.

Besides, an opinion piece in the People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party of China, said Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s recent meeting with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh was “just like a gentle breeze” which helped clear up the “suspicion and misunderstanding” clouding bilateral ties.

Significantly, Bansal’s statement came a day after the Union Ministry of External Affairs sidestepped questions about China building dams on the Brahmaputra saying Beijing had “consistently” denied that it was engaged in any such construction activity on the river.

“The point where they are making a dam is 1,100 km away from our border,” Bansal said, adding that India did not have a water-sharing treaty with China. Besides, the dams being built were small and not reservoirs as such. “Our concern is that the water should not be diverted.”

The Indian Express had last month reported that construction for a dam was underway on the Chinese side of the Brahmaputra. The issue was also discussed by the Committee of Secretaries earlier this week.